Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) announced on Sunday that it will invest A$10.3 million (US$ 8 million) into its Casccade Brewery Co. in Tansmania to convert it into a craft beer brewery with small batch capability. The company, which is since the takeover of SAB Miller in 2016 a division of AB InBev, said it will increase Cascade’s brewing capability by 65 per cent and “launch Cascade as one of Australia’s leading craft breweries.”
CUB also said in its statement that “Cascade will expand its craft brewing options, including brewing experimental beers for our Australian and Asia Pacific region operations. It will also brew a number of beers from some of the world’s leading craft brands.”
“We have a whole stable of ABI brands and we’re talking to the brand managers at the moment, looking at Camden Town, 10 Barrel, Elysian,” Anita Holdsworth, Cascade’s newly appointed brewery manager, told Australian information service Brew News. Ms Holdsworth is the first female to be Cascade’s brewery manager and she has been selected to lead Cascade’s upgrade and CUB’s craft brewing vision.
The beers brewed at Cascade will be distributed to all Australian states, with some exported to the Asia Pacific region.
Since the closure of the Matilda Bay Garage Brewery in Port Melbourne in 2014 CUB is lacking small batch brewing capacity, which is needed to brew craft and specialty beers.
CUB selected Cascade to lead the growth in craft beer for a number of reasons. “We love Tasmania’s vibrancy and confidence and its world renowned reputation for clean food and drink. We’re also backing our team of experienced brewers at Cascade to take us to the next level. We’re going to build on a heritage that commenced when Cascade first brewed for Tasmanians in 1832,” Jan Craps, CEO of CUB said in the company’s statement.
The Cascade Brewery Company, established in 1824, is Australia's oldest operating brewery. It is located in Hobart, Tasmania’s capital and most populous city of the island. The beers, which are currently brewed here, include the classic Tasmanian range of Cascade Draught, "CascadeRed" (Bitter) and "CascadeBlue" (Lager) to the class leading Cascade Pale Ale and Cascade Stout and ever popular Cascade Premium Light.
The Cascade brewery is also the home of Mercury Cider producing a range of Tasmanian ciders. However, the range of cordials and soft drinks now produced under the Cascade brand, which were originally produced by Cascade Brewery Co., are no longer associated with the brewery.
